{"id":55418,"date":"2019-10-06T21:11:54","date_gmt":"2019-10-06T19:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/artykul\/profanity-in-ancient-rome\/"},"modified":"2021-02-12T10:20:45","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T09:20:45","slug":"profanity-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"artykuly","link":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/article\/profanity-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Profanity in ancient Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_87_1 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Chapters<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/article\/profanity-in-ancient-rome\/#roman-graffiti\" >Roman graffiti<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/article\/profanity-in-ancient-rome\/#examples-dirty-words-on-roman-graffiti\" >Examples dirty words on Roman graffiti<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Profanity is not just the domain of modern language. In the ancient and Roman times, vocabulary considered indecent was widely used. In ancient times and Roman times, descendants of &#8220;she-wolf&#8221; were commonly used in conversations, and less often in texts considered indecent.<!--more--><\/p>\n    <div class=\"ramka_ze_zdjeciem float-right \"\n         style=\"\">\n\n        <div class=\"zdjecie\">\n            <img\n                class=\"ramka-ze-zdjeciem\"\n                src=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Mercury_god.jpg\"\n                                alt=\"The fresco from Pompeii shows us the god Mercury with a huge penis\"\n                width=\"300\"\n                height=\"281\"\n               \n               \n            \/>\n\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Mercury_god.jpg\"\n               rel=\"fancybox\"\n               title=\"The fresco from Pompeii shows us the god Mercury with a huge penis (sopio).\">\n                <div class=\"iover\">\n                    <div class=\"zicon\">\n                        <i class=\"fa fa-search-plus\"><\/i>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <div class=\"opis\">\n                                The fresco from <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-cities\/pompeii\/\">Pompeii<\/a> shows us the god <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-religion\/gods-of-ancient-rome\/list-of-roman-gods\/mercury-roman-god\/\">Mercury<\/a> with a huge penis (<em>sopio<\/em>).            <\/div>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n    \n<p>Profanity was more likely to occur in speech than in writing. In literary works we know the following cases of use of profanity:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>writers: satirical poets, especially <b><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/biographies\/gaius-valerius-catullus\/\">Catullus<\/a> <\/b> and <b>Martialis<\/b>. In addition, <a title=\"Horacy\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/biographies\/horace\/\">Horace<\/a> in their early poems. Another type of song was &#8220;Priapeia&#8221;, dedicated to the god <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-religion\/gods-of-ancient-rome\/list-of-roman-gods\/priapus\/\">Priapus<\/a>, a Roman fertility deity providing fertility.<\/li>\n<li>speakers and lawyers: e.g. <b><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/biographies\/cicero\/\">Cicero<\/a><\/b> in <em>Epistulae ad Familiares<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><b>medical<\/b>, especially veterinary,<b> texts <\/b>using anatomical expressions that were offensive over time.<\/li>\n<li><b>graffiti<\/b> and<b> inscriptions<\/b> written on the walls of Pompeii and <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-geography\/roman-cities\/herculaneum\/\">Herculaneum<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"underlined\"><b>Vocabulary:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><b>Mentula<\/b><\/em>, <em><b>verpus<\/b><\/em>\u00a0&#8211; penis<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Colei<\/b><\/em> &#8211; kernels<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Cunnus<\/b><\/em> &#8211; pussy<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Landica<\/b><\/em> &#8211; clitoris<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Culus<\/b><\/em> &#8211; anus<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Merda<\/b><\/em> &#8211; feces<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Futuere<\/b><\/em> &#8211; sexual intercourse<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Futuo<\/b><\/em> &#8211; fuck<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Cevere<\/b><\/em> or <em><b>crisare<\/b><\/em> &#8211; the first probably refers to riding a penis or anal sex for a passive person, and second to fuck.<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Cacare<\/b><\/em> &#8211; send<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Pedo<\/b><\/em>, <em><b>pedere<\/b><\/em>, <em><b>pepedi<\/b><\/em> (or <em> pepidi<\/em>) &#8211; fart<\/li>\n<li><b> <em> pelusia magna!<\/em><\/b> &#8211; &#8220;young lady!&#8221;; offensive to men<\/li>\n<li><em><b>Mingere<\/b><\/em> or <em><b>meiere<\/b><\/em> &#8211; pee<\/li>\n<li><em><b>cinaede<\/b><\/em>, <em><b>pathice<\/b><\/em>, <em><b>sceleste<\/b><\/em> , <em><b>perfide<\/b><\/em>, <em><b>barbare<\/b><\/em>, <em><b>inepte<\/b><\/em> &#8211; words emphasizing slowness, lack of skills, cowardice, weakness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Although every text spoken in Latin sounds dignified, it should be clearly stated that the Romans knew a lot of profanity and used them eagerly. And it is not about the Latin equivalent of the word &#8220;curve&#8221;, for which we call vulgarisms &#8220;Latin&#8221;. In real, ancient Latin, one could encounter numerous profanities referring to sexual activities. Who would have thought that eminent Romans in gowns liked texts such as <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/curiosities\/vulgar-work-of-catullus\/\">the famous Catullus poems<\/a>, entitled: <em>Pedicabo vos et irrumabo&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>As for <b><a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/roman-society\/marriage-and-love-life-in-ancient-rome\/prostitution-in-ancient-rome\/\">prostitution<\/a><\/b> &#8211; the most common term for a prostitute was: <em>scortor<\/em>, <em>scortari<\/em>, which mainly occurs in <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/biographies\/plautus\/\">Plautus<\/a>. The term may come from the word <em>scorteus<\/em> (&#8220;made of leather&#8221;). Prostitutes were also referred to as <em>meretrix<\/em> (&#8220;earner&#8221;) or <em>loupe<\/em> (&#8220;she-wolf&#8221;). The brothel was called <em>lupanar<\/em>. The word <em>prostituo<\/em> meant &#8220;to put up for sale&#8221;.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"ramka_ze_zdjeciem float-center \"\n         style=\"\">\n\n        <div class=\"zdjecie\">\n            <img\n                class=\"ramka-ze-zdjeciem\"\n                src=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/roman-graffiti.jpg\"\n                                alt=\"An example of Roman graffiti on a wall in Pompeii\"\n                width=\"600\"\n                height=\"351\"\n               \n               \n            \/>\n\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/roman-graffiti.jpg\"\n               rel=\"fancybox\"\n               title=\"An example of Roman graffiti on a wall in Pompeii.\">\n                <div class=\"iover\">\n                    <div class=\"zicon\">\n                        <i class=\"fa fa-search-plus\"><\/i>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <div class=\"opis\">\n                                An example of <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/curiosities\/roman-graffiti-voice-of-ordinary-people-from-centuries-ago\/\">Roman graffiti<\/a> on a wall <a href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/discoveries\/in-pompeii-found-inscription-that-could-change-date-of-vesuvius-eruption-in-79-ce\/\">in Pompeii<\/a>.            <\/div>\n        \n                    <div class=\"chmurka\">\n                Image credit: Flickr user Roller Coaster Philosophy            <\/div>\n        \n    <\/div>\n    \n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"roman-graffiti\"><\/span>Roman graffiti<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When in 79 CE Pompeii and Herculaneum were <a title=\"Explosion of Vesuvius\" href=\"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/article\/eruption-of-mount-vesuvius\/\">destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius<\/a>, no one expected anything to survive there. However, as it turned out after many years, volcanic ash has perfectly preserved the remains of the Roman world. To this day, archaeologists are discovering amazing inscriptions, inscriptions and graffiti left by the Romans on the walls. Many of them prove to us that the Romans were not just luminous and cultural speakers.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"examples-dirty-words-on-roman-graffiti\"><\/span>Examples dirty words on Roman graffiti<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em><b>Philiros spado<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Phileros is a eunuch&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><em>Lucius Pinxit<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Lucius painted this&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><b>Apollinaris, medicus Titi Imperatoris hic cacavit bene<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Apollinaris, doctor to the emperor Titus, had a good crap here&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"underlined\">description<\/span>: an inscription on the wall of the Casa della Gemma in Herculaneum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><em>Oppi, emboliari, fur, furuncle<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Oppius, you&#8217;re a clown, a thief, and a cheap crook&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><em>Miximus in lecto. Faetor, peccavimus, hospes. Si dices: quare? Nulla matella fuit<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We have wet the bed. I admit, we were wrong, my host. If you ask \u2018why?\u2019 There was no chamber pot.&#8221; Found inside an inn&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"underlined\">description<\/span>: found in the inn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><b>Virgula Tertio su: Indecens es<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Virgula to Teritus: You are a nasty boy&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><b>Epaphra, glaber es<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Epaphra, you are bald&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><em>Vatuan aediles furunculi rog<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;The petty thieves request the election of Vatia as adele&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"underlined\">description<\/span>: in Pompeii, an \u201cadele&#8221; was an elected official who supervised markets and local police, among other things.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><em>Suspirium puellam Celadus thraex<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Celadus makes the girls moan&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><b>Admiror, O paries, te non cecidisse, qui tot scriptorium taedia sustineas<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;I wonder, O wall, that you have not yet collapsed, so many writers\u2019 clich\u00e9s do you bear&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"underlined\">description<\/span>: popular record; often appears on the walls in different places.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":63356,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"kategorie_artykulow":[104],"class_list":["post-55418","artykuly","type-artykuly","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","kategorie_artykulow-unknown-facts"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artykuly\/55418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artykuly"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/artykuly"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artykuly\/55418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kategorie_artykulow","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imperiumromanum.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kategorie_artykulow?post=55418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}